


Indirect Kissing

by Stariceling



Category: Tantei Gakuen Q | Detective Academy Q
Genre: Indirect Kiss, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-03-18
Updated: 2007-10-26
Packaged: 2017-12-05 18:37:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/726534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stariceling/pseuds/Stariceling
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A moment that should have been innocent starts to look a little less so in Ryu's mind. (Ryu/Kyu... or Kyu/Ryu?)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [slr2moons](https://archiveofourown.org/users/slr2moons/gifts).



> Written when smashing through writer’s block. Slr2moons is to thank for bringing me around to think about Tantei Gakuen Q and setting the bunny on me in the first place, even unknowingly.
> 
> For more indirect kissing and delightfully sneaky Kyu, check out her fic [It's All an Act, You Know](http://archiveofourown.org/works/205639/chapters/305564).

"Catch!"

Ryu looked up, hands coming up just in time to catch the can before it fell into his lap. Kyu was grinning, obviously having just tossed the drink at him. Ryu looked from the Kyu's face to the can in his hand. When Kyu had insisted he wanted to stop and buy something to drink, it had not occurred to Ryu that Kyu would try to treat him to something as well.

"Thank you." Ryu didn't want to risk hurting Kyu's feelings by telling him he felt awkward accepting such a small, spontaneous present. He did want to go along with Kyu's insistence that they were friends. That was his reason for letting Kyu talk him into 'hanging out' outside of class, after all. He would have to make some attempt to go with the flow.

Listening as Kyu hummed to himself and dug through his pockets for more change, Ryu popped the can open and took a small sip. Pure and sweet and bubbly, it was exactly the sort of thing he would have expected Kyu to recommend.

"Aw. . . that was the last one."

The disappointed look Kyu turned on the machine was impossible to ignore. Ryu stood up, suddenly feeling oddly guilty about the whole thing, and pressed his drink into Kyu's hand. "Here. I'll get something else."

Almost immediately, Kyu's face was bright red. "It's okay, I wanted you to have it! I'll get something else and you already drank from it so it's really yours!"

"Only a little," Ryu protested. He could feel his cheeks growing hot as well, and quickly turned his face towards the vending machine in an attempt hide it. He hadn't thought about germs before giving Kyu the can. Let alone the feeling of Kyu's lips being pressed where his had been only a moment before.

He had only been thinking of looking after Kyu! Not. . . that. Ryu had no idea where that had even come from. He was determined to get the whole image out of his head and never think of it again.

"Thanks." Kyu had already recovered from his panic attack, and Ryu envied him for it. He took a drink from the can himself, apparently realizing that Ryu wasn't about to take it back. He didn't seem hesitant about it at all, and Ryu was convinced he had not even considered the fact that Ryu's mouth had been on that spot a moment before.

"You're welcome."


	2. Chapter 2

Ryu wondered sometimes if these slight, almost innocent, changes were inevitable. It seemed that the more time they spent together, the more they picked up each other’s little habits without even thinking about it. At least, Kyu didn’t seem to be thinking about it. Ryu was sure he would have voiced his thoughts if he had, the way he did everything else.

So maybe the fact that he hadn’t said a thing meant it was natural for them to slowly start to make the same choices. Kyu made it feel natural when he tried to share something he liked with Ryu, or when he tried to discover what Ryu liked. It was uncomfortably personal at first, but Kyu somehow managed to make it friendly and natural.

It was still a bit odd when they ended up bringing the same drink with lunch. It was happening more and more often lately, and Ryu hadn’t even tried to fight it. He let it slide simply because Kyu thought it was amusing.

Though, since both their lunches ended up on his desk when Kyu came over to talk to him, he did make a point of opening his drink and taking a sip to ‘claim’ it before getting up to wash his hands. He didn’t give it a second thought until he came back, picked up what he assumed was his drink, and realized that the seal was still unbroken. Kyu had apparently taken the opened one while he was gone.

Ryu sat down without a fuss, his voice perfectly even when he dropped the soft accusation in Kyu’s ear. “You took my drink.”

Kyu jumped and looked in surprise at Ryu, then at the bottle in his hand. This wasn’t the first mix-up they’d had, and Ryu couldn’t have said why it irritated him so much this time, but it did. Kyu hadn’t been watching him, and he couldn’t have been able to tell from the level of fluid in the bottle, but shouldn’t he have noticed that the seal was broken?

Automatically, Ryu weighed the likelihood of Kyu’s guilt. He was too smart, so he should have noticed, but sometimes he just didn’t think before doing something. The bottles hadn’t been right next to each other, had they really been close enough that it was an accident?

“I’m sorry.” Kyu looked about as embarrassed as Ryu usually felt when he realized that he’d made that same mistake. Even accidentally putting his mouth to a soda can that had been touched by Kyu’s mouth made him feel like he had violated Kyu’s personal space somehow. He didn’t like the thought of Kyu doing the same thing so carelessly. It wasn’t that Kyu had taken some unwelcome liberty with his personal space, more like he had contacted Kyu in some inappropriate way, and Kyu hadn’t even had the sense to try and prevent it.

It was embarrassing and frustrating, but Ryu tried to remind himself that no harm had been done. It wasn’t as if Kyu had an ulterior motive.

“Ano. . . Ryu? Are you mad at me?” Kyu gave him a miserable look. Ryu wanted to tell him to never do that again, but at the same time he realized he couldn’t get angry enough to tell him off, knowing it must have been an accident. At some point he had come to instinctively trust Kyu. Seeing him look so dutifully guilty simply because he had upset Ryu somehow, even though he might not understand what he had done wrong, it was impossible not to forgive him.

“Of course I’m not mad.” Ryu finally picked up the unopened drink. “Just pay more attention next time.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s okay. It was an accident, right?”

Kyu shrugged, still blushing a little. That was fine, since Ryu hadn’t quite expected an answer. He was only reassuring himself that the odd, fluttery feeling in his chest was completely unfounded.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 1 of slr2moon's fic [It's All an Act, You Know](http://archiveofourown.org/works/205639/chapters/305568) could come between chapter 2 and this part. After that, both fics diverge in their own directions, but it can be fun to read them that way.

_That was no accident._

Ryu had been glad to decide that Kyu ‘stealing’ his juice earlier was unintentional, an innocent twist of fate. Kyu sampling the juice right in front of him, however, had obviously been deliberate. The very idea that Kyu had made a point to pass his kiss on that way made Ryu shiver inside. He already knew he liked the idea a little too much.

As he willed the heat to leave his face, Ryu found he couldn’t even look at Kyu. Just watching Kyu watching him made it impossible to think, and when Kyu licked his lips it made him want. . . Ryu couldn’t even find words to describe the white-hot curl of desire that tiny gesture woke inside of him. He only knew that whatever-it-was should end with that Kyu’s playful little tongue against his lips instead, or between them.

That thought only made his embarrassment grow. He fixed his eyes on his juice, sending silent pleas to Kyu not to ask what was wrong.

Of course that didn’t help. Not when he knew all too well that Kyu’s saliva was mixed with his around the bottle’s rim, not to mention on his own lips. And even on Kyu’s, though that was still supposed to be an accident, right? Ryu tried to look up at Kyu without raising his head, peeking through his lashes. Was Kyu aware of that result of his sampling Ryu’s drink?

That was the closest he would ever get to kissing Kyu. He had to keep reminding himself of that fact. Otherwise he was going to start convincing himself that there was something more there, just waiting for him to dare to reach out and ask for it.

Instead he reached out and took a second drink of his juice. He had agreed with Kyu that he liked it, without even being able to taste it the first time. He had been far too distracted, thinking that he could actually feel Kyu’s lips on his, instead of the plastic rim of the bottle. Now it actually helped to steady him. While he could easily imagine that Kyu truly did taste sweet, assuming his mouth would somehow taste of mango and strawberries was too much of a stretch.

He shouldn’t be assuming that this was meant to be a ‘kiss’ that Kyu had offered him, he tried to tell himself.

Yet, Ryu couldn’t let go of the idea that Kyu was watching him, staring at him, even. Kyu touched him so readily. It wasn’t just casual, or accidental. Kyu didn’t miss many moments when their hands could innocently brush. Not that Ryu minded, he simply couldn’t get it out of his head.

Kyu reached across the desk and pressed the back of his hand to Ryu’s cheek, making him let out a tiny gasp.

“Are you okay, Ryu? Your face is all flushed.”

“I’m fine.” Ryu wasted a few seconds trying to convince himself that Kyu was merely concerned, and not looking for an excuse to touch him. He looked up when Kyu’s hand moved to his forehead and added, “I just don’t have much of an appetite today.” Let Kyu think he was eating slowly because he was a little under the weather, not because he was distracted by imagining the taste of his friend’s skin.

“That’s too bad. It looks delicious when you eat it.”

There was a playful look in Kyu’s eye that Ryu recognized. He couldn’t be sure if Kyu was teasing him or not. He hoped Kyu didn’t know the real reason behind his blush. If he did, didn’t he realize he was only encouraging Ryu’s dirty thoughts by adding to them? Was he trying to push Ryu to the point where he snapped and demanded that Kyu just go ahead and kiss him?

No. Ryu tried to smile at Kyu, pretending to reassure him that everything was alright. He had to be reading into it, imagining that Kyu was slipping in moments of innuendo that were, in reality, innocent mistakes. He was only seeing what he desperately wanted to see, which he knew was a very bad habit for a detective. He needed to be able to think clearly. It was especially embarrassing because he could usually pick up signals from Kyu so accurately.

“Do you want some?” Ryu held out his bento box so that Kyu could easily reach it. “I already made it, so I wouldn’t want it to go to waste.” If nothing else, he could at least give Kyu this small offer as an apology, even if he couldn’t actually admit to Kyu what he was apologizing for.

“You made it?” Kyu looked surprised, and Ryu wondered if that meant he had done something wrong. He had always made his own lunch. It wasn’t hard so long as he followed the recipes strictly, so it had never felt strange to him.

Was there something he had been doing wrong? He hadn’t even thought that his sausages resembled little octopuses until Kyu pointed out. He had always figured that he was supposed to cut them to let the steam out when they cooked. Besides, so long as his cookbook said to do it, Ryu didn’t think it was hurting anything. He did remember Kyu saying something about his lunch being packed very cutely. . . but he had just followed the pictures in the book. Food couldn’t be all that cute, could it?

If it was somehow too much for Kyu. . . “You don’t have to take it. In fact, if I really am getting sick, you probably shouldn’t. I’m sorry. Nevermind.”

“Itadakimasu.” Before Ryu could properly retract his offer, Kyu had snagged his last sausage-octopus out of the box. He popped it in his mouth.

“This is delicious, Ryu! You’d make someone a wonderful wife!”

“I. . . thank you?” Ryu could only hope Kyu would continue to mistake his blushing for an innocent fever.


	4. An End to Indirect Kisses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set after Hell's Maestro (after Ryu comes to live with Kyu).

Kyu looked up and smiled when Ryu stepped into the bathroom. He had been humming over the sink as he brushed his teeth, being altogether too upbeat for so early in the morning. It wasn’t a surprise that Kyu was a morning person. He was so energetic all the time, it would have been more troublesome to see him quiet and grumpy in the morning. What Ryu didn’t understand was how that wide, cheery smile could make even the toothpaste-foam ringing Kyu’s lips seem cute.

Not. . . that he thought about Kyu being cute. It certainly wasn’t that Kyu was cute very much of the time, just when he was being energetic and enthusiastic about something. Or when he did something crazy without thinking. Or when he did something completely brilliant. Or when he smushed his face into his pillow while he slept. . .

Ryu shook himself out of his thoughts before he could dig himself in any deeper. It was early. He didn’t normally spend time thinking about Kyu’s cuteness. It was just too early.

“Good morning.”

“‘Oornig!” Kyu greeted him around the toothbrush in his mouth.

Ryu didn’t even try to suppress his smile as he moved to stand at the sink next to Kyu. At least being around Kyu made mornings a little more enjoyable. If Kyu had to be a morning person, at least his enthusiasm was entertaining instead of irritating.

Filling his cup from the sink, Ryu took a sip of water before looking around for the toothpaste. Kyu passed it to him and relieved him of his cup all in one motion.

“What are you doing?” Before Ryu could reclaim his cup, Kyu was using it to rinse out his mouth. Kyu wiped his lips with his free hand and looked up at Ryu, positively radiating confused innocence.

“What?”

“Can you please use your own cup?” It wasn’t like Kyu didn’t have one. It was sitting right there on the counter, within easy reach. Kyu had initially gone out of his way to get an extra cup for the bathroom so Ryu could have one in the first place, so Ryu thought maybe he shouldn’t complain, but. . . did Kyu really have to drink from something that he had just used?

“Are you feeling sick?” Kyu put one hand to Ryu’s forehead, and Ryu took a quick step back, feeling his face heat up at the unexpected contact.

“I’m not sick.” He probably should have made up something on the spot about it being unhygienic and not wanting to pass germs on to Kyu, but that wasn’t the main reason, and he didn’t think to lie outright. “It’s just embarrassing.”

“How so?” Kyu seemed to take a long time to feel Ryu’s forehead and take his hand away. “Oh! If you don’t like the color, I can trade with you. I don’t mind pink.”

“It’s not that.”

“Were you not done with it? I’m sorry.” Kyu turned on the tap and filled the cup back up before offering it back to Ryu. It was a nice gesture, really, but it didn’t change the fact that Ryu knew Kyu’s lips had just been on it. Now he wasn’t going to be able to drink out of that cup without thinking of the fact that it had been against Kyu’s mouth only a minute ago. Why did this keep happening?

“Because it’s like kissing!” Ryu finally burst out. He couldn’t stop thinking about accidentally kissing Kyu indirectly, and Kyu still seemed so blissfully unaware.

“No it’s not.”

So it was only a product of his own, overly dirty, imagination? That only served to make Ryu feel worse. He should probably apologize for that. Before he could think of a way to frame the apology without directly admitting to those dirty thoughts (at least, any more than he already had) Kyu was leaning closer to him again.

Then Kyu’s mouth was pressed against his, warm and unexpected and minty. The kiss lasted for only a second, but the taste and the feeling of Kyu’s touch lingered on Ryu’s lips, keeping him speechless.

“That’s like kissing,” Kyu corrected him. He was smiling that same, light-hearted smile as before, but now there was a glint in his eye that told Ryu he knew exactly what he was doing. He was right, at least. That was nothing like the occasional indirect kisses that Ryu had been agonizing over.

“You’re right. . .” Of course Kyu was right. If he was going to put it like that, how could Ryu argue? What else was he even supposed to say after something like that? “Thank you?”

“Any time.”


End file.
